As spring arrives, so does horse show season. While it would be great to buy yourself a new wardrobe each year to start the season off fresh, doing so probably isn’t practical. If your wardrobe from last year is looking a little drab, there are a number of ways you can spruce it up without spending a ton.

Add a New Show Shirt

One of the easiest…

I finally found a couple of free evenings and finished a sword-holder and stirrup lance-bucket, so I can now strap my repro 1908 British Cavalry Sabre onto my repro 1912 UP saddle and re-introduced Oakley to the sport of tent-pegging.

Last time we did this was over 2 years ago, and he was... skittish. He got terribly upset at the sound of the sword drawn from the scabbard, he was nervous about the sight of a drawn sabre, tried to escape from the waving pennant on the lance, and did…

When sending a horse away for training, that horse may be away for a few weeks or even a few months. And while you may have done your homework before sending your horse away for training, there’s still room for things to go wrong. Monitoring your horse when he’s not at home can be tricky, but it’s also important to ensure that he is safe and training is…

Sending a horse away to a trainer requires a good deal of trust, since your horse’s care and wellbeing will be in the trainer’s hands. If you’re planning to send your horse away for training, you will want to make sure that the horse will be safe and that the training will be a positive experience. Here are some factors you’ll want to…

We’ve all heard it – it’s the attention to details that makes a winner. So over the next few columns, can I share some of the details I see overlooked as I walk across the show grounds or sit in the judge’s booth?

Gotta say, most of these are training oversights. And believe me, years ago I’d have been the first one to ask “Why does it matter?” But I’ve come to…

Many riding camps offer campers the option of bringing home a camp horse at the end of the summer. Camps save on the upkeep costs of their horses, and some lucky campers get to enjoy having “a horse of their own” for the year until it’s time for the horse to return to the camp in the early summer. But is bringing home a camp horse a good option for your…

Is your horse's topline lacking? A good topline both improves a horse's appearance and makes it easier for him to carry himself properly. If you're looking to develop and strengthen your horse’s topline, these exercises can help you do that.

Before You Start

Before you begin working on your horse’s topline, remember that for these exercises to be…

Smart. Clever. Dull. Clueless. We all have stories of horses that connect the dots and others that …don’t. So, really, are some horses sharper than others?

As a trainer, I’ll swear to the value of having a well-defined, systematic approach to training. I’ve also learned (sometimes the hard way) that the cookie cutter has to be adapted somewhat for…

Horse psychology insights: for a winning edge in the show ring and in life!

"The meeting of preparation with opportunity…

Flight response: A horse’s instinct as a prey animal, to flee from perceived danger. 



Dr Andrew Mclean says “A structure deep inside the brain called the amygdala, sorts out stimuli as to whether they are fearful or not. Fearful stimuli receive special recognition by the brain in terms of remembering - unlike other information, once learned fearful…

Out on the trail, bushwhacking through woods too thick to walk through on foot, we come across a fallen tree, branches everywhere, and pine trees on the other side. Vinnie is behind us, following. I ask Oakley to approach so I can see if there is a way around. While I'm looking around, he keeps walking up to the tree, looks down at the trunk as if to say "oh, this up to my chest. I can't step over this... I'll have to jump..." and…

Can riders transfer stress to their horses? A study presented at the International Equitation Science Symposium several years ago confirms it…

53 pairs of horses and riders were tested (each of the 26 horses at least twice with a different rider). Riders were also asked to rate different aspects of their riding skills on a scale from 1-10, for…

We were cautioned as an audience at a recent Cavalla performance to refrain from flash photography for the safety of the horses and riders…I was skeptical.

I reasoned the stressful part for the horses would be what’s going on inside the ring. Performing in close proximity to other horses while more gallop about in random directions. Humans and equipment…